Space42 to start partial satellite manufacturing this year, while Tadawul chief expects record number of listings this year
Here’s a look at today's biggest tech stories in the MENA+:
- DIFC revenue surges 37%; new registrations up 25% in 2024
- Space42 to start partial satellite manufacturing this year
- Govt partners Lockheed Martin to set up Cybersecurity Center of Excellence
- Dubizzle buys online car marketplace Hatla2ee
- 46% of merchants see one-click as key to reducing checkout friction
- Tadawul chief expects record number of listings this year
- Scopely may buy Niantic’s video game business for $3.5B
- Asia investors increasingly interested in Kingdom as global influence grows
- BNPL market expected to grow to $53B by 2030
- ACWA Power to buy Engie's Kuwait, Bahrain assets worth $693M
- FRA eases regulations for SPAC registration
- Govt considers offering small shares of SOEs on local bourse
- Annual urban headline inflation eases to 2-year low at 24%
- ‘Alliance & Development’ initiative launched to boost innovation, entrepreneurship
- ADNOC Distribution to launch inaugural service station
- 2x exports targeted in 3-5 years with focus on GCC market
- FDI rebounds as investor confidence improves
- Agri firm Barkat Frisian’s local IPO oversubscribed by over 16x
- IMF team to conduct key economic review in March
- Mobility platform inDrive records 25% increase in active users
Other MENA+ Developments
- Al-Futtaim Logistics enters KSA, Oman to tap aerospace growth
- Batelco by Beyon, GSMA sign MoU to join Open Gateway Initiative
- China seeks to bolster Gulf cooperation on finance, digital currency
- HSBC plans sale of Bahrain retail banking operations amid restructuring
- QIA unit, Omani government firm to back Asyad Shipping IPO
Southeast Asia Developments
- Hong Kong to approve more crypto products amid digital asset hub push
- Nvidia partners Siam AI to develop Thailand’s largest data center
- Indonesia to develop local AI model similar to DeepSeek
- Gogoro partners Castrol for electric scooter JV in Vietnam
- Vietnam to push ahead with $8B rail link to China
India Developments
- India-UAE bilateral trade doubles in 3 years following CEPA
- India, Qatar target $28B trade amid strategic partnership
- Meta’s new global undersea cable project to pass through India
- iPhone parts maker Murata considers shifting production to India
- Uber adopts zero-commission model for autorickshaw drivers
